The effect of breathing exercises and stress ball use during dressing changes on pain, anxiety, comfort and vital signs in burn patients

In patients with burn injuries, managing pain, anxiety, comfort, and vital signs is crucial. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of breathing exercises and stress ball use during dressing changes on pain, anxiety, comfort, and vital signs in burn patients. The study was conducted as a randomised controlled trial between August and December 2025 at the Burn Centre outpatient clinic of Adana City Training and Research Hospital. The study sample consisted of 210 patients, comprising 70 in the control group, 70 in the stress ball group, and 70 in the breathing exercise group, and each patient was monitored during two consecutive dressing changes. The data collection tools used were the Patient Identification Form, the Burn-Specific Pain Anxiety Scale, the Visual Analogue Scale, and the General Comfort Scale Short Form. At the first follow-up, it was observed that the pain and anxiety levels of the breathing exercise group were lower than those of the control group (F=5.579, p=0.004; F=3.463, p=0.033), and the comfort levels of participants in the breathing exercise group were higher than those in the stress ball and control groups (F=7.756, p<0.001). At the second follow-up, the pain levels of the stress ball and breathing exercise groups were lower than those of the control group. Furthermore, the breathing exercise group's pain levels were found to be lower than those of the stress ball group (F=22.170, p<0.001). In the second follow-up, it was found that the anxiety levels of the breathing exercise and stress ball groups were lower than those of the control group, and that the anxiety levels of the breathing exercise group were lower than those of the stress ball group (F=26.769, p<0.001). In the second follow-up, the breathing exercise and stress ball group had higher comfort levels than the control group, and the breathing exercise group had higher comfort levels than the stress ball group (F=43.197, p<0.001). The use of breathing exercises and stress balls during burn dressing changes had positive effects on pain, anxiety, and comfort. It is recommended that nurses use non-invasive, non-pharmacological methods such as breathing exercises and stress balls in their clinical practice.